Telephone toll system.



A. u. HOEFEH & H. M. BASCOM.

TELEPHONE TOLL SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 30, 1914.

Patented Dee. .26, 1916.

ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED U. HOEFER, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW J'ERSEY, AND HENRY M. BASCOM, OFNEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO AMERICAN TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY,

A. CORPORATION OF NEW 'YORK.

TELEPHONE TOLL SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALFRED U. HOEFER and HENRY M. BAsooM, residing atEast Orange and Brooklyn, in the counties of Essex and Kings and Statesof New Jersey and New York, respectively, have invented certainImprovements in Telephone Toll Systems, of which the following is aspecification.

Telephone toll systems in which it is necessary for subscribers todeposit a coin or token before they can communicate with an A-operator,as in the usual prepayment coin boxes, are sometimes foundobjectionable, in that there may emergencies arise demanding such callsas for the fire department or police, which make it desirable thatcommunication shall be had with the operator regardless of thepossession by the callingsubscriber of a coin of the properdenomination. This is met in the present invention, which provides thatfrom substations equipped with toll apparatus instructions may be givento the operator upon the mere removal of the receiver from its hook, butthat communication with the wanted substation'is impossible untilpayment is made or until an act of the operator gives the subscriberfree service.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention diagrammatically.

At A and A telephone substations are shown, these having the customaryapparatus. There is in addition at substation A a coin box a, in abranch to ground from one side of the circuit and provided with apolarized magnet 10 through which current may be sent in one. directionor the other from the central station to collect or refund a coinintroduced by the subscriber. In series with the magnet are contacts 11adapted to be closed by the deposited coin. The substations are joinedto the central station 0 by lines L and L and there terminate in thejacks J andJ and the usual line equipment.

At the central station the A-operators are provided witha suitablenumber of cord or link circuits for connecting the. jacks of the callingand called lines. Each of these cord circuits, with respect tothe'battery B, repeating coil I, answering and calling supervisoryrelays R and R and their lamps r and r answering and calling plugs P andP operatofls set 0, and her listening, split? ting and coin-collect keysK, K and K in volve no departure from well known pract1ce and need notbe particularly described.

The characteristic features of the invention are as follows: In thesleeve conductor l2 of the calling end of the cord circuit is thewinding of a relay R in series with the calling supervisory lamp r RelayR at its front contact closes a conductor 13 which includes the windingof a blocking relay R and the normal contact 14 of a release relay R Atits back contacts 15 and 16, relay R completes the continuity of the tipand ring sides Z and Z of the cord circuit between the splitting key Kand the repeating" coil and between said key and the answeringsupervisory relay R, respectively. At its front contact 17, relay Rtransfers the conconductor Z to the winding of a relay R Front contact18 of relay R joins a toll de' posit signal in the form of a detectorlamp r in series with the answering supervisory relay R.- Relay R hastwo windings, 19 and 20. Through winding 19 the relay may be initiallyenergized by either of two paths over conductor 21 and through the extraor free contact 22 of a coin-return key K and also by way of the frontcontact of relay R and the sleeve conductor 23 of the answering end ofthe cord circuit to ground at the cut off relay of the calling line. Thewinding 20 of relay R is a lockingwinding, its circuit including theanswering supervisory lamp r, contact 24 and the sleeve conductor 23.When contact 24 is made, contact 25 of relay R is broken, whereby thewinding 20 is substituted for the resistance 26 normally in series withthe lam r.

Suppose the subscriber at coin box substation A wishes to converse withthe subscriber ,at substation A and that the deposit of a toll isnecessary to efiect this. The receiver is removed from its hook atsubstation A, the line lamp lights and the making of theconnectionproceeds in accordance with the usual routine until the calling plug Pis inserted in the multiple jack ofthe called subscribers line. Thencurrent flows from battery. through the calling supervisory lamp rconductor 12, wind ing of relay R contacts of the calling plug P andjack J to ground at the cut off relay relay R is energized. There is nowa pa.

' Relay R is denergized by for current from battery through the backcontact 14 of relay Rf", conductor 13, winding of relay R and frontcontact of relay R to ground at the armature of said relay. Relay R atonce opens both conductors Z, Z of the cord circuit at its contacts 15and 16, thereby normally preventing communi cation between the connectedsubstations in absence of some special act on the part of either thesubscriber or the operator/ By thus severing of the talking circuit, theanswering supervisory relay R would be released, causing the supervisorylamp to give a false indication. This is prevented, however, by theconnection of the winding of said relay to ground through front contact18 of relay R and the detector lamp r 1 is illuminated by current inthis circuit if no coin has been placed in the box a. If, instead, thetoll has been deposited, or is at this time at the request of theoperator, a circuit is completed for relay R which may be traced frombattery through the winding of said relay, conductor 28, contact 17 ofrelay R tip conductor Z of the cord corcuit, normal contacts for thesplitting, coin-collect and coin-return keys K K and K in series, tipcontacts of the plug P and jack J, tip side of the line L, winding ofmagnet 10 and contacts 11 to ground. Attracting its armature, relay .Rfurnishes a circuit for the relay R from battery through winding 19,conductor 21, front contact of relay R sleeve conductor 23, sleevecontacts of answering plug P and jackJ to ground at the cut off relay ofthe calling line. Opening .contact 14 in the circuit of the blockingrelay R, relay'R releases said blocking relay. The contacts 15 and 16are therefore closed, connecting through the talking circuit between thesubstations A and A so that conversation may proceed. The breaking ofcontact 18 extinguishes the detector lamp 7, informing the operator ofthe deposit of the coin and the release of the blocking relay.

contact 17. When relay R released relay R it also looked itselfindependently of -b relay B through winding 20 and contact 25 to thesleeve conductor 28. Contact 24 closes before the'contact 25 opens andsubstitutes the winding 20 of relay R for the resistance 26 in thecircuit of the answering supervisory lamp 1'. This signal and thecalling supervisory lamp 1 are now controlled by the relays R and 11 inthe customary'way. Upon the subscribers returning their receivers to thehooks, the lamps r and 1' light, and the operator withdraws the plugs Pand P This deprives the relays R and R of current and they release,returning the apparatus of the cord circuit to its original condition.

Instead of the character of call previously assumed, it might have beenthat the subthe opening of scriber at substation A wished for aconnection for which a toll was not necessary. The operation of thesystemwould be as before until the operator received the number whichindicates a privileged communication. She would thereupon press thecombined return and free key K Since no coin wasinserted in the box a,the coin-return contacts of the key would perform no useful function,but the contact 22 would energize relay R over the following circuit:battery, winding 19 of relay R conductor 21 and contact 22 to ground.Relay R would release the blocking relay and lock itself to groundthrough the sleeve contacts of the answering plug and jack as before.The action of the system is otherwise as already stated, except thatthere is no ener coin box, for the operator to depress the key K aftereach rering to maintain contact 1 of the release relay open. With thepresent arrangement, this burden is removed from the operator, becausethe answering plug remains in the ack until connection is takendown, andthe relay R is therefore continuously energized.

-We claim:

1. A telephone toll system comprising substations and a central station,lines connecting the central and substations, a toll apparatus at asubstation, switching means at the central station for joiningsubstation lines, automatic means acting upon the switching means toprevent communication etween substations'after the switching together oftheir lines and before the operation of the toll apparatus, and meansunder the control of a central station operator for rendering saidcommunication-preventing means ineffective.

2. A telephone toll system comprising substations and a central station,lines connecting the central and substations, a toll apparatus at asubstation, switching means at the central station for joiningsubstation lines, automatic means acting upon the switching means toprevent communication ineifective, and a signal controlled by saidcommmunication-preventing means.

3. A telephone toll system comprising substations and a central'station,lines connecting the central and substations, a toll apparatus at asubstation, switchin means at the central station for oining su stationlines,'a relay operable after the connection of the switching means withthe calledline and before the operation of the toll apparatus associatedwith the calling line to prevent communication between the unitedsubstations, an operators signal for indicating the condition of thetoll apparatus, and a circuit for the signal controlled by said relay.

4. A telephone toll system comprising substations and a central station,lines connecting the central and substations, a toll apparatusat asubstation, switching means at the central station for joiningsubstation lines, automatic means acting upon the switching means toprevent. communication between substations after the switching togetherof their lines and before the operation of the toll apparatus, and meansunder the control bothof a central station operator and a callingsubscriber" for rendering said communication-preventing meansineffective.

5. A telephone toll system comprising substations and a central station,lines connecting the central and substations, a toll apparatus at asubstation, a link circuit for joining substation lines, a relayoperable after the connection of the link circu1t with the called lineand before the operation of thetoll apparatus associated with thecalling line to open the link circuit, a second relay controllin thefirst-named relay, and a circuit including a central station operatorskey for controlling the second relay.

6. The combination with substation lines and a cord circuit forconnecting said lines, said cord circuit being provided with talkingcontacts and a sleeve contact, of a relay for governing the continuityof the cord circuit through said talking contacts, a circuit for saidrelay closed fiion joining the cord circuit with the called line, and. arelay for opening said circuit depending for its energization upon theconnection of the cord circuit with the calling line through said sleevecontact.

7. The combination with substation lines,

their line and cut-off relays and a cord circuit for connecting saidlines, of a relay for governing the continuity of the cord circuit, acircuit for said relay closed u on joining the cord circuit with thecalled llne,

a relay having contacts in said circuit,

means for'initially operating the'last-named relay, and a c1rcu1t forcontinuing the ener- I relay of the calling line.

- fourth day ofOctober, 1914.

gization of said relay including the cut-off 8. The combination with.substation lines and a cord circuit for connecting said lines, said cordcircuit having talking contacts and sleeve contacts, of abloclnn'g'relay and an energizing circuit therefor for govern.- ing thecontinuity of the cord circuit through the talking'contacts, a relayenergized through the sleeve contacts of the calling end of the cordcircuit for closing the circuit of the blocking relay, a relay forreleasing the blocking relay, and a circuit for said release relayincluding the sleeve contacts of the answering endof the cord circuit.

9. The combination with substation lines and a cord circuit forconnecting said lines, of av blocking relay for governing the con;tinuityof the cord circuit, an energizing circuittherefor,.meansforclosingthe circuit'of therblocking relay, a relay for releasing theblocking relay, an initial circuitfor the release relay, a relaycontrolling said initial circuit and operatedover the calling line, anda locking circuit for the release relay including the sleeve contacts ofthe answering end of the cord circuit;

10. In a telephone toll system, substation lines and a link circuit forconnecting the same, a"coin-controlled apparatus at a substation,automatic means associated with the link circuit for preventingcommunication thereover between connected substations, and means alsoassociated with the link circuit for both governing the comcontrolledapparatus and operating the communication-preventing means.

1.1. In a telephone toll system, substation lines and a link circuit forconnecting the same, a coin-controlled apparatus at a substation,automatic means associated with the link circuit for preventingcommunication. thereover between connected substations, and an operatorskey. having contacts governing the coin-controlled apparatus andcontacts governing the communicationpreventing 'means.

12. In a telephone toll system, substation lines and a link circuit forconnecting the T same, a coin-controlled apparatus at a substation, arelay for opening the linkcircuit,

and a coin-return key provided with contactsgoverning said relay.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification,inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses, this twenty- ALFRED U.HOEFER. HENRY M. BASCOM. Witnesses:

. SAMUEL RAsMUsnN, lVIAY QUINN.

